Wet Race at Dry Creek Half Marathon

Jetting back across the country after the Bel Monte 25k, the La Sportiva Mountain Cup found itself in Hidden Springs, Idaho for the Dry Creek Half Marathon this past weekend. Gorgeous 70 degree temperatures greeted runners under sunny skies on Friday before pulling a sneaky 180 overnight. At the start, runners braced themselves for gusty winds and rain that transitioned to snow in the foothills around town. Still, 200 runners hit the trail… and pavement for the race. In a last minute decision, the race director responsibly substituted a pavement heavy route to avoid permanently damaging waterlogged trails. In the end, the racers’ smoking hot times better match the course change than the weather change.

The RaceMen’s Race
Ryan Woods continued to domination this year’s Mountain Cup by winning the race in 1:19:00 nearly four minutes ahead of second place. Bernie Boettcher (1:22:58) took second just seconds ahead of his La Sportiva teammate Brad Mitchell (1:23:12) of Idaho. Mountain Cup stalwart Jason Bryant took four in 1:24:00.

Ian Achey reports:

Jason Bryant collapsed at the finish line after have given it almost everything he had on the course. Paraphrasing Jason, “I can’t do fast. My body just starts to shut down when it’s time to really open it up. I’m better at climbing and technical descents, everyone slows down there (myself included), but I just slow down a lot less. If it hadn’t been for the technical descent on this course, I’d be sitting in 6th.” Obviously, not doing “fast” is a relative term.

What most of the field saw of (l-to-r) Jason Bryant, Bernie Boettcher, Brad Mitchell, and Ryan Woods. It looks to have been a tad bit muddy out there.

Top Five

Ryan Woods – 1:19:00

Bernie Boettcher – 1:22:58

Brad Mitchell – 1:23:12

Jason Bryant – 1:24:00

Brandy Bengoechea – 1:25:39

Women’s Race
Going back to last season, Megan Kimmel has dominated the Mountain Cup and while she won again, it wasn’t without a fight. Right on Kimmel’s (1:29:29) heels was Trail Runner magazine’s associate editor Ashley Arnold (1:30:10). We hope to see a rematch between these two Colorado residents later in the Mountain Cup season.

The La Sportiva Standout award (dubbed the Most Bang for you Buck Award by the race director) was presented to 49 year old Deanna Brock, a local runner from Middleton, Idaho. Brock placed 185th overall, but came in with a smile saying to Ulmer “I’d rater run your race than ever volunteer for it.” Known for her spicy attitude she continued with a smile by saying (paraphrased) “Gee, I never thought my attitude would get me anything.” It was also her birthday.

Men
Ryan Woods continues to dominate this year’s Mountain Cup; however, it’s anyone’s game if they step up and race well through the end of the season. Jason Bryant continues to position himself well with a solid hold on second. Bernie Boettcher moved into fourth place in the standings with a second place finish at Dry Creek. As we expect to see Boettcher at later races, I’d be willing to say his fourth position is a de facto third.

Ryan Woods – 64 points (3 races – 22 pts from Dry Creek)

Jason Bryant – 43 pt (3 races – 13 pts from Dry Creek)

Waylon Calabrese – 20 pts (1 race – Did not race Dry Creek)

Bernie Boettcher – 19 pts (1 race – 19 pts from Dry Creek)

(T-5) Jared Scott – 17 pts (1 race – Did not race Dry Creek)

(T-5) Justin Gonzales – 17 pts (1 race – Did not race Dry Creek)

Women

Megan Kimmel races ahead to take over the first place spot in which she ended last year’s Mountain Cup. Rachel Cieslewicz falls to second, but collects another handful of points. While only in fifth, Ashley Arnold could quickly move up the standings.

Now, with all the mud at the Dry Creek race, we’re going in a whole new direction. That direction? The brand new La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0, which would have been gold on the courses muddy sections. The Crosslite 2.0 also adds a couple millimeters of cushioning to the original Crosslite. This cushioning surely would have been appreciated on the added road miles on Saturday.

If you want to win the Crosslite 2.0s? Simply leave your name and town (in the US or Canada) in a comment before we write about the next Mountain Cup race, the Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run on May 14 in Helena, Montana. As a reminder, if you enter to win the Crosslite 2.0s you’ll also automatically be eligible to win the grand prize at the end of August. Read up on the iRunFar.com La Sportiva Mountain Cup giveaway grand prize.

Call for Comments
If you ran the Dry Creek Half Marathon, please leave a comment letting everyone know how you did and what you think about the race.

Got a question for the record if you know the answer. Are the Crosslite 2.0's replacing the original Crosslites or just supplementing them? From the comments it sounds like the Crosslites will be no more, though I see they're still shown on the website. Seems to me it'd be a shame to get rid of a great shoe.

Bummer for East Coasters the LSMC is essentially a West Coast affair. Although the NC race was added, it was announced so late it was already well filled, leaving us with only State College since the Mount Penn Mudfest was not part of the series this year. It looks like a good series, could be great with more planning and with a more evenly distributed schedule, geographically.

I can see the LSMC reaching the level of the US Grand Prix of Cyclocross (http://www.usgpcyclocross.com/) with a little more planning/work. It's got excellent prize money, such a rarity in running, good locales and a great sponsor. In addition to adding some more East Coast races, have race directors submit their bids by July and announce the following season in September. That will generate buzz and give participants plenty of time to schedule their year.